When the Friends of the Culpeper Library announced their first in house comic-con event in January, it also announced Dr. Grace D. Gipson as the keynote speaker.
Gipson is an assistant professor of African-American studies at Virginia Commonwealth University whose research involves Afrofuturism and Pop Culture Feminism. Gipson also describes herself as a huge comic book nerd.
Growing up, she was awash in the pop culture world, but it was only during her undergraduate studies at Clark Atlanta University in Georgia that she came upon the idea of becoming a researcher in the history of the stories and character that she had grown up with.
“We are all engrossed in pop culture whether it’s going to the movies, watching television and the magazines that we pick up at the grocery store,” Gipson stated.
Gipson came to the attention of staff members from the Culpeper Public Library when she served as a moderator during a panel discussion at LibraryCon 2022.
People are also reading…
“I was kinda nerding out with these authors and I was able to showcase what I know. It also allowed the artists to showcase their work,” said Gipson. “That was when Andrew [DiNicola] reached out to me with the opportunity to show my black girl nerd skills and talk about comics.”
Gipson said she is a huge proponent of libraries, going back to her experiences of being a “voracious reader” as a child.
“It is essential that libraries exist and the fact that we have something like CulpeperCon in conjunction with the library is the perfect combination. It gives access to libraries and it also gives access to the potential of comics and graphic novels in that world,” Gipson stated. “Because most, if not all, libraries offer comics and graphic novels for people to check out and read. So what better way to have people come, learn about it and potentially check out and learn more. It shows why libraries are necessary, why they’re here and why they’re not going anywhere.”
Gipson has seen the medium of comics and graphic novels reach a level of respectability that may not have been possible 20 years prior. “When I first started doing my research in comics and graphic novels there wasn’t a lot. As a master’s student, I remember really digging, trying to find a lot of things to incorporate in my lit review. To see this growing passion legitimizes why comics exist, why graphic novels are here.”
She added that the view of graphic novels and comics has changed from a piece of media that was seen as a detriment to society — and accused of contributing to juvenile delinquency — to one that is respected for its contributions to arts and literature and gives children a doorway into learning how to read. Gibson hopes that visitors to CulpeperCon will come in and walk away with a better understanding and appreciation for the artform.
“Graphic novels and comics are a way to step out of reality for a little while, for me it was a way to imagine I was somewhere else. Hopefully when they come back they can have a different view of pop culture, comics and themselves.”
Gipson described her areas of study as Afrofuturism, which examines historic and modern stories of African Americans and how they might affect the future. She pointed to the “Black Panther” films, Milestone Comics characters Icon and Static, and music by George Clinton with Parliament-Funkadelic as examples of the concept.
Gibson said “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is an example of how Afrofuturism and feminism intersect. The movie depicts an African nation that has fostered women as leaders in the sciences, military and government.
Among contributions she has made to other publications, Gipson is currently working on a book tentatively titled “ Reclaiming Her Time,” about female black superheroes in comic books, graphic novels and fandom. The book will highlight particular characters such as Misty Knight and the Dora Milaje.
CulpeperCon will be held Saturday, March 25. at the Culpeper County Library.
540/825-0773